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HISTORY AND THE PEESENT OEGANIZATION 






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BROWN UNIVERSITY. 






FUBLISHED BY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD. 






PROVIDENCE: 

KNOWLES, ANTHONY & CO., PRINTER."?. 

1861. 




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SKETCH 



HISTORY AND THE PRESENT ORGANIZATION 



BROWN UNIVERSITY. 



PUBLISHED BY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD. 



PROVIDENCE: 

KNOWLES, ANTHONY & CO., PRINTERS. 

1861. 



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BROW^N UNIVERSITY. 



This Institution, which was founded in 1764, owes its 
origin to the desire of the Baptists in the American 
Colonies to secure for members of their denomination 
a liberal education, without subjection to any sectarian 
tests. At the suggestion of the Rev. Morgan Edwards, 
the Pastor of the First Baptist church in PhiladeliDhia, 
the Philadelphia Baptist Association, in the year 1762, 
resolved to establish a College in the Colony of Rhode 
Island and Providence Plantations, where Roger Wil- 
liams had first recognized the principle, and enjoyed 
the blessings of" soul liberty;" and where, "because the 
legislature was chiefly in the hands of the Baptists, was 
therefore the likeliest place to have a Baptist College 
established by law." The Rev. James Manning, a grad- 
uate of the College of New Jersey, was commissioned 
by them to travel through the Northern Colonies, for 
the purpose of furthering this project. 

In the year 1763, Mr. Manning visited Newport, then 
the most flourishing commercial town of the Colony of 
Rhode Island. He was very cordially received by 
Gardner, the Deputy Governor, and several prominent 



citizens. The subject he had come to present was 
not altogether a new one to their minds ; for the spirit 
of rehgious toleration, and the large and hberal views 
which had characterized the Colony from its beginning, 
had already awakened in them the desire for a seminary 
of learning, which should be conducted on the principles 
Mr. Manning proposed. His visit served to strengthen 
this desire, and to give definiteness to their purposes 
and plans. 

In 1764, a charter for the College was obtained from 
the Legislature of the Colony. Its chief provisions 
were : the exclusion of all religious tests for applicants 
for admission, and of all sectarian teachings in the Col- 
lege course ; equality of privileges for all Protestant 
denominations ; the choice of Professors without regard 
to denominational views ; and government by a Presi- 
dent of Baptist sentiments, and by a Board of Fellows 
and a Board of Trustees, in which, though the Baptists 
were to have the predominance, other denominations 
in the colony were to be fairly represented. Of the 
twelve Fellows, eight, including the President, were to 
be Baptists ; and of the thirty-six Trustees, twenty-two 
were to be Baptists ; five, Friends ; four, Congregation- 
alists ; and five. Episcopalians. The corporate name 
of the Institution was to be, " The College or University 
in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence 
Plantations in New England, in America," until it 
should be honored with that of some eminent benefac- 
tor — an anticipation in due time happily fulfilled. 

In 1765, Mr. Manning, who had in the mean time 
become the Pastor of a church in Warren, a town on 
the eastern side of Narragansett Bay, and had opened a 
Latin school there, was elected President of the College, 



Being empowered to act " at Warren or elsewhere," he 
at once began the work of instruction at his place of 
residence. In the following year, Mr. David Howell, a 
graduate of the College of New Jersey, who was after- 
wards honored with high political and judicial trusts in 
the State of his adoption, became Mr. Manning's as- 
sistant. 

As funds were needed, both for the support of the In- 
structors, and for the ultimate erection of a suitable 
College building, Mr. Edwards, in 1767, visited England 
and Ireland, for the purpose of soliciting aid. His sub- 
scription joaper, bearing the honored names of Benjamin 
Franklin and Benjamin West, may still be seen in the 
College archives. Collections for the same purpose 
were made in South Carolina and Georgia, and in the 
Philadelphia churches. The first Commencement was 
celebrated at Warren, in 1769, when seven young men 
were graduated. A contemporary account preserves 
the interesting facts, that both the President and the 
candidates were dressed in clothing of American manu- 
facture, and that the audience, composed of many of 
the first ladies and gentlemen of the Colou}^, behaved 
with great decorum. 

The four principal towns of the Colony, Newport, 
Providence, Warren and East Greenwich, now appeared 
as rival claimants for the honor of becoming the site 
of the building which it was proposed to erect for the 
College. It was promised to the largest contributor to 
the building fund, and was secured by Providence. The 
subsequent history of the Institution has given its 
friends reason to congratulate themselves on this result. 
In 1770, the foundation of" University Hall," the oldest 
of the four buildings of the College, was laid. The spot 



6 

selected for it was the crest of a hill which then com- 
manded a view of the bay, the river, with the town on 
its banks, and a broad reach of country on all sides. 
Now that the buildings of the city have crept up the 
hill, and, gathering round the College grounds, have 
stretched out far beyond them, thus shutting out the 
nearer prospect, the eye can still take in, from the top 
of " University Hall," the same varied and beautiful 
landscape which once constituted one of the chief at- 
tractions of the site. 

During a portion of the revolutionary period, from 
1777 to 1782, the College was disbanded, and a gap 
occurs in its history. Some of the students entered the 
army ; others completed their studies elsewhere. The 
dormitories and recitation-rooms were surrendered to 
the use of the State militia, and to the sick and wounded 
of our French allies. In 1786, President Manning, 
whose graceful deportment, elegant scholarship, and 
wise and Christian character had commended him to all 
his fellow-citizens, was appointed to represent the State 
of Rhode Island in the Congress of the United States. 
In 1791, he died, lamented by all classes, and b}^ none 
more than by the graduates of the College, of which he 
was the real founder, and which owed to him its guid- 
ance and its prosperity. 

President Manning was succeeded by the Eev. Jona- 
than Maxcy, who, during the previous year, had held 
the temporary appointment of Professor of Divinity, in 
anticipation of succeeding to the Presidency. For ten 
uneventful years. Dr. Maxcy was at the head of the 
College. In 1802, he became President of Union Col- 
lege, and in 1804, President of the College of South 
Carolina. 



The Rev. Asa Messer succeeded Dr. M<axcy in the 
Presidency of Rhode Island College, and held this office 
until 1826. It was in the early part of his administra- 
tion, that the College received its present name of 
" Brown University." In 1804, Mr. Nicholas Brown, a 
member of a family already celebrated in the annals of 
the State for its public spirit and its mercantile integrity 
and enterprise, and a graduate of the College under the 
Presidency of Dr. Manning, having already given to the 
Library a valuable collection of Law books, presented 
to the Corporation the sum of $5,000, as the foundation 
of a Professorship of Oratory and Belles Lettres. It was 
thereupon voted, that the College be thenceforward 
styled Brown University, in honor of its most distin- 
guished benefactor. This was, however, but the begin- 
ning of Mr. Brown's benefactions to the University 
which bears his honored name. In 1821-2, a second 
building, for the accommodation of the increasing num- 
ber of students, was erected at his sole expense, and 
at his suggestion named " Hope College," after his only 
sister, Mrs. Hope Ives. 

In 1826-7, Dr. Messer was succeeded by the Rev. 
Francis Wayland, D. D. The period of Dr. Wayland's 
Presidency was marked by greater changes and more 
numerous improvements in the condition of the College, 
than had been effected by either of his predecessors. 
In its earlier years, the course of study was enlarged ; 
the standard of scholarship was raised ; the number of 
Professorships was increased ; the discipline became 
more rigid ; and sharing in the President's high aspira- 
tions and earnest enthusiasm for sound learning and 
thorough study, the Professors and the students labored 
with a spirit worthy of their leader. For more than a 



8 

quarter of a century^ Dr. Wayland was identified with 
the interests of the College. He stamped it with the 
impress of his own lofty character. His pupils partook 
of his intense moral earnestness and high and severe 
sense of moral obligation, and went forth into life with 
the exalted aims and studious habits, which he both 
encouraged and illustrated. 

Under Dr. Wayland's auspices, the Library — now one 
of the chief boasts of the College — may be said to have 
been first established on a permanent basis. The rudi- 
ments of a Library had indeed been secured through the 
endeavors of Mr. Edwards, the early friend and agent of 
the University. To these had been added books pur- 
chased by subscriptions, in which the Brown family had 
been largely represented, donations from the Bristol 
Education Society of England, and legacies from emi- 
nent friends of the Institution. Of the latter, the most 
interesting and valuable was the Library of the Rev. 
William Richards, LL. D., of Lynn, England. It is rich 
in Welsh books, and in rare pamphlets and larger works 
relating to the history and antiquities of England and 
Wales. In 1831, began the subscription to what is 
known as the Library fund. It amounted to $19,437, 
of which $10,000 were from the same munificent hand 
to which the College had been so largely indebted. 
This sum was invested, and since 1839, when its accu- 
mulated interest had raised it to $25,000, it has fur- 
nished an annual dividend for the steady increase of the 
Library, and the purchase of Philosophical apparatus. 

The room in, "University Hall" in which the books 
were kept, was already too strait for them. To provide 
a suitable place for their deposit, the Hon. Nicholas 
i^rown, at his own expense, in 1834, erected a beautiful 



9 

building for a Library and a Chapel, to which he gave 
the name of " Manning Hall," in honor of his Instructor, 
the first President of the University. The Library has, 
since then, received large and frequent accessions from 
Mr. John Carter Brown, (the surviving son of the Hon. 
Nicholas Brown, who, in this respect, follows in the foot- 
steps of his father ;) from the late Moses B. Ives, Esq., and 
from numerous other graduates ; among whom is chiefly 
to be mentioned the Hon. Theron Metcalf, of the Su- 
preme Court of Massachusetts, whose unique collection 
of Pamphlet Sermons and Addresses furnishes to the 
student of the ecclesiastical history of New England an 
invaluable stock of materials. 

In 1840, " Khode Island Hall," built by the subscrip- 
tions of Rhode Island men and Rhode Island women, 
for the Geological Cabinet and for the lectures in 
Chemistry and Natural Philosophy, was added to the 
other College edifices. At the same time, the " Presi- 
dent's House " was removed from the College enclosure ; 
the grounds were laid out and planted with elms, and 
a new house for the President was erected opposite 
their main entrance. 

But favored as Brown University was by the mu- 
nificence of its friends and patrons ; strict as was its 
discipline ; and thorough as was the instruction its 
Professors gave, it did not realize the ideal formed by 
the earnest and practical mind of its President. The 
number of its students did not increase ; and with its 
enlarged expenditure, it was not self-supporting. De- 
spairing of improvement so long as the existing system 
was perpetuated. Dr. Wayland, in 1849, resigned the 
Presidency. He, however, consented to reconsider his 
purpose. His views of the needs of the College, and of 

2 



10 

the times were presented to the Corporation, and 
adopted by them ; and it was resolved to attempt to 
raise a fund for the purpose of reahzing his theory of 
education. One hundred and twenty-five thousand 
dollars were cheerfully subscribed ; and what is called 
"the New System" commenced. Its main features were, 
the provision of such new courses of study in science 
as the practical spirit of the age demanded ; the aban- 
donment of a fixed term of four years of study for 
students, and in place of it the pursuit of any selected 
cjDurse for such a length of time as the student's cir- 
cumstances required; the privilege of selecting such 
studies as the student desired, and of pursuing such, 
and as many studies, as, under the guidance of his 
guardians, he might wish ; the adjustment of the Bach- 
elor's and the Master's Degree, so as to represent a dif- 
erence of attainment, such Degrees being conferred on 
candidates producing certificates of proficiency in cer- 
tain prescribed and sometimes interchangeable studies, 
and passing a special examination on some additional 
study ; and the guaranty of a fixed salary to each Profes- 
sor, to which should be added such sums as resulted 
from the sale of tickets to his lectures, the relative 
amount being thus determined somewhat by the attrac- 
tiveness of his department. From 1850 to 1855, the 
College was carried on under this system, with but 
slight modifications. The Degree of A. B. was con- 
ferred on students who had pursued prescribed studies, 
which represented a course of three years. The Degree 
of A. M. was conferred, not in course, but on those 
whose prescribed studies represented a four years 
course. The Degree of Bachelor of Philosophy was 
given to proficients in certain appointed scientific 



11 

studies. Instruction was given in practical sciences. 
The number of students greatly increased. A new im- 
pulse was given to the College. 

In 1855, Dr. Wayland, wearied with the cares of a 
long and honored Presidency, having inaugurated his 
cherished plan of Collegiate instruction, resigned his 
office of President. 

The Rev. Barnas Sears, D. D., a graduate of the Col- 
lege, was elected his successor. Dr. Sears had been 
long known as an Educator. He had for many years 
been a Professor in a Theological Institution in Newton, 
Mass. At the time of his election, he was the Secretary 
of the Board of Education of the State of Massachusetts, 
in which office he presided over the admirable public 
school system of that Commonwealth. He brought to 
his new office the fruits of his studies in this country 
and in Europe, and a long and varied experience in the 
work of education and of academic government. 

Under his administration, the system introduced by 
his predecessor has been considerably modified. The 
increased opportunities for practical education are still 
offered. But inasmuch as it was found that, while the 
whole number of students in the partial course increased, 
those who pursued a full course diminished, — 361 stu- 
dents having entered in the years 1850-54, while only 
108 were graduated in the full course in the years 
1854-8, — it was thought expedient to abandon the three 
years course for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts, and to 
diminish the prominence of the partial course. The 
course of study for academic degrees has therefore re- 
turned to its former order and limits. The Bachelor's 
Degree in arts is given at the end of four years of pre- 
scribed study ; the Master's Degree is conferred in 



12 

course ; the Baccalaureate in Philosophy is retained as 
originally prescribed, 

A plan has been adopted and is in a course of suc- 
cessful execution for the encouragement and relief of 
meritorious students who may need pecuniary aid. A 
fund derived from a bequest made to the University by 
the Hon. Nicholas Brown, has been applied by the Cor- 
poration to the founding of eleven scholarships, pa3n.ng 
sixty dollars a year each, called the Nicholas Brown 
Scholarships. This number has been more than doubled 
through the agency of the Rev. Horace T. Love. His 
efforts in this behalf are still to be continued. An " Aid 
Fund" of $5,000, for the benefit of students who may 
need help in smaller sums, has been recently established, 
through the munificence of a lady in a neighboring 
town. Arrangements for reducing the price of board 
have been made, in order that students of limited pecu- 
niary resources, who wish to enter this College, may not 
be repelled by the expense of living in a city. 

The University at present has, besides the mansion 
house for the President, four College buildings or halls, 
viz : University Hall, built in 1770, of brick, four stories 
high, 150 feet long and 46 feet wide, containing 58 
rooms for officers and students ; Hope College, built in 
1822, of brick, four stories high, 120 feet long and 40 
wide, containing 48 rooms ; Manning Hall, built in 
1834, of stone covered with cement, 90 feet in length 
by 42 in width, two stories high, containing the Library 
room and the Chapel ; and Rhode Island Hall, built in 
1840, of stone covered with cement, 70 feet long by 42 
wide, containing two lecture-rooms with apparatus, an 
ample hall for the cabinet of mineralogy, geology, &c., 
and, in the basement, a chemical laboratory. 



13 

Subscriptions for a new fire-proof Library building, 
and for a large Laboratory, are in progress and have 
advanced far towards their completion ; one of the sub- 
scriptions for the former and a kindred object amount- 
ing to $25,000. 

Besides the regular undergraduate course, there is 
provision for thorough and extended instruction in ana- 
lytical and practical chemistry, and also a course in 
Civil Engineering. In addition to the department of 
general chemistry, with its Professor, who gives instruc- 
tions by lecture during half the year, there is a separate 
laboratory for analytical chemistry, with a Professor and 
'an assistant. 

The course of instruction, in this department, is not 
limited in its aim or scope, but is intended to meet the 
wants of agriculturists, manufacturers, physicians, phar- 
maceutists, metallurgists and all students of material 
nature. 

Any person who can pursue the study with advan- 
tage, and conforms to the rules of the department, may 
be admitted as a special student. Undergraduates may, 
by permission, pursue a course of study in the Labora- 
tory, with certain limitations and restrictions. 

The great progress which the science of chemistry 
has made within the past few years, and the important 
and intimate relations which it now sustains to the 
other natural sciences, to the arts and manufactures and 
to nearly all the operations of practical life, demand 
enlarged advantages for students in that department. 
It is moreover believed that the city of Providence, 
surrounded by so many flourishing manufactories, offers 
remarkable facilities for building up a school of practi- 
cal chemistry. 



14 

It is for the better accommodation of this department 
that a new and more spacious Laboratory is to be 
erected, in which provision will be made for any ex- 
pansion that may be called for. 

The College grounds, including, in all, more than 
fourteen acres, are, in the vicinity of the buildings, 
graded and adorned with trees, (the greater part of 
which are omitted in the accompanying engraving.) 
The invested Funds of the College, including the Library 
Fund, amounted, before the recent subscriptions, to 
about |208,000. 

The College Library contains 30,000 carefully selected 
volumes, including a very rich collection of rare pam- 
phlets. The society libraries present, in addition, an 
aggregate of 6,000 volumes. The last Triennial Cata- 
logue, published in 1860, gives the entire number of 
graduates as 2,043, of whom 1,256 are now living. Of 
this number of graduates, 537 have been ordained as 
ministers, of whom 342 are now living. 

The present number of undergraduates, according to 
the -annual catalogue for 1860-1, is 232. Of these, 45 
are pursuing a partial course, the remainder being can- 
didates for the regular degree of Bachelor of Arts. The 
academic year is divided into two terms, the first be- 
ginning on the first Wednesday in September, and con- 
tinuing twenty weeks ; the second beginning three 
weeks after the close of the first, (about the middle of 
February,) and continuing twenty weeks, — to about the 
second week in July. A recess of one week occurs in 
the middle of each term. The annual Commencement 
is on the first Wednesday of September. 

In the order and the course of study. Brown Univer- 
sity does not now differ essentially from her sister Col- 



15 

leges of the United States. Her Faculty consists of a 
President, who is also Professor of Intellectual and 
Moral Philosophy, and nine Professors. A Librarian 
and a Registrar complete her list of officers. Retaining 
all that the tunes called for, and all that she found 
worthy in her " New System," she proceeds, as of old, 
on the well-tried basis of a sound and thorough Chris- 
tian, Classical and Scientific culture ; and offers and gives 
to her pupils an education in keeping with the spirit in 
which she was founded, and wdth the intentions of those 
who have enriched her with their munificence, and 
cherished her with their love. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



029 919 123 i 



